Japan is launching a mission to Mars’s largest moon PhobosFri, 16 Oct 2026 17:00:00 +0000 The Martian Moons eXploration spacecraft, set to launch on 20 October, will bring back samples that should solve a moon mystery that has been vexing scientists for more than a century | |
El Niño has killed hundreds of children in SudanFri, 16 Oct 2026 16:37:49 +0000 Drought driven by El Niño is causing hunger and disease in Sudan that has already killed hundreds of children | |
Scientists have just voted to abolish leap secondsFri, 16 Oct 2026 13:59:18 +0000 Since 1972, officials have added 27 leap seconds to the universal clock, but in a meeting this week in France they have decided to abandon the practice | |
Can a positive mindset protect us from the sniffles?Fri, 16 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000 If you’re trying to avoid the worst of cold and flu season, looking after your mind can help shape your immune system, finds columnist David Robson | |
Will physics be the next field to be turned upside down by AI?Fri, 16 Oct 2026 06:00:00 +0000 AI has taken huge strides in computer programming and mathematics – physics could be next | |
Antarctica’s ‘doomsday’ glacier will keep melting even if oceans coolThu, 15 Oct 2026 20:00:00 +0000 Computer models suggest that unrealistically cold oceans would be insufficient to stop Thwaites glacier retreating, although a neighbouring glacier might begin to grow | |
Why a high school in Virginia is getting a quantum computerThu, 15 Oct 2026 19:00:00 +0000 Starting in January, students attending Skyview High School in Virginia will learn about the building blocks and principles underlying quantum computers by working with one directly | |
Google showcases way to fix quantum computer errors more efficientlyThu, 15 Oct 2026 18:00:00 +0000 Error-proofing the most important operations performed on a quantum computer has so far required lots of resources, but a new experiment shows a more efficient way to make the devices reliable | |
Towering glacial ice cliffs may collapse in fits and startsThu, 15 Oct 2026 18:00:00 +0000 We still don't know for sure how the ice cliffs looming over the sea at the leading edge of some glaciers will behave as the climate warms, but satellite data offers some clues | |
Probiotic cuts risk of respiratory infections in formula-fed babiesThu, 15 Oct 2026 17:00:00 +0000 Babies who are formula fed are more prone to infections, but the addition of a probiotic supplement containing sugars from breast milk slashed the risk of such infants catching respiratory viruses | |